Remember Jamie Baker (Jamie Baker #3)(104)

Teddy’s sardonic smile shot to Donovan, making the older man’s face flush red. Donovan didn’t lose his composure often. It must have driven him mad that Teddy, his test subject that was barely even human in his eyes, was smarter than his entire staff. That he was at Teddy’s mercy.

“So you got caught, dragged here to be a prisoner again, and when I beat your stupid technology and Donovan asked for a new model, you struck a deal with him—new nanobots for my memories of Ryan?”

It was despicable. On so many levels. My disgust, my hatred for the boy I’d considered my family for the last six months, oozed out of me so strongly that Teddy cracked. “You left me!” he shouted. “I gave you everything, and you walked out on me!”

I jumped to my feet. The lights in the room flickered again. “You told me to leave! I never hurt you on purpose. I tried to love you, Teddy. I drove myself crazy with guilt that I couldn’t return your feelings for me. And you let me beat myself up over it. You let me believe that I’d once loved you when you knew all along that it was Ryan I loved! You’re sick!”

“Forget Ryan!” Teddy used his mind to throw the couch he’d been resting against across the room. It crashed into the television mounted on the wall, sending glass flying in all directions. “He is nothing. A stupid jock! You’re too good for him, Jamie! Too powerful. You belong with me!”

Oh. No. He. Didn’t. “You egomaniacal little creep! You’re the one who doesn’t deserve me. Ryan is so much more than a jock. He’s smart, and selfless, and passionate. He’s optimistic and kind—all things you aren’t.” I scoffed. “He’s a man. You’re just a selfish, immature child who throws tantrums when things don’t go your way. You don’t have the slightest clue what real love is. I wasn’t with Ryan for thirty seconds before I learned the difference between love and whatever it is you think you feel for me.”

I knew I shouldn’t stoke the flames of his temper, but again, temperamental was near the top of my personality list for a reason. It was one of my strongest attributes. A flaw it may be, but one that was a big part of me. I was angry now, and I wanted to hurt him back.

He’d nearly broken me, and I wanted him to feel what that was like, so I held up my ring finger, letting him get a good look at the diamond resting there. “I let Ryan put this back on my finger before I came here. I promised him I would marry him. He was able to do in less than a week what you’ll never be able to accomplish. He made me fall for him.”

Teddy’s face flushed so red he almost looked purple, and things started flying around the room again. A few dishes broke and books exploded from the shelves, slamming into walls.

“Teodoro!” Betty yelled, grabbing Natalia into her arms, protecting the child from the flying objects.

Donovan tried, too. “Teodoro, calm down or I will be forced to separate you from the rest of them. Do you want me to have to lock you up in the observation cell?”

Teddy ignored the threat, eyes focused solely on me. I refused to look away and drove the nail in as hard as I could. “I love him, Teddy. I love him more than anything. With or without my memories. You will never win.”

I knew instantly that I’d pushed him too far. The room stilled and Teddy suddenly went scarily calm. “Is that what you think?”

The surety in his voice was disturbing. Recognizing that he was a bomb seconds away from exploding, I kept my voice low and soft as I answered him. “You can’t make me love you.”

His eyes narrowed and he shook his head. “I can make you do anything I want.”

My stomach rolled, and I glanced toward Betty, wondering if she had any clue what he was talking about. She seemed as clueless as me. And scared. When I looked back at him, he smiled cruelly. “Kiss me, Jamie.”

“What?”

I scoffed, but even as I thought he was out of his mind, I walked over to him and pressed my lips to his.

Gasping, I tried to scramble back, but Teddy smirked and said, “I don’t think so. Kiss me again. A real kiss. With passion. Kiss me like you would kiss your precious Ryan.”

When I leaned in, my eyes snapped wide. “NO!”

I tried to fight the command, but my arms went around his neck and I pressed my mouth to his. I kissed him. I kissed him long and hard. His hands wrapped around my waist and he pulled me against him, answering my kiss with zeal. He acted as if I were kissing him for real, acting of my own volition. I hated it, but I let him do it. I couldn’t stop myself. He deepened the kiss and I wanted to vomit, but I allowed him to explore my mouth and even tangled my tongue with his. I let his hands drift over my body, and I raked my fingers through his hair, pulling him even closer to me.

He had complete control of me. He’d given me a command, and I was unable to deny him. I started to shake from both fear and rage. I tried to fight the compulsion, but no matter what I did I was forced to follow his lead. Forced to let him use my body as he pleased.

The longer the kiss lasted, the more desperate I became to stop it. If I couldn’t disobey, then I had to find a way around his command. He’d told me to kiss him, but he never told me I couldn’t zap him. I let my energy shoot to the surface of my skin, and not the nice superkiss kind of energy. I zapped Teddy so hard we were literally blown apart.

Unfortunately, he stayed conscious through the jolt, and before I could knock him out, he yelled, “Jamie, stop!”